Liga MX Femenil Week 17 Recap

The 2023 Liga MX Femenil Clausura tournament is done.

The weekly tournament of 18 teams that we knew is gone, in its place a bi-weekly tournament that will see eight teams become four, four become two, and then two give way to one champion before we do it all again later in the summer. It’s perhaps here in this continuous cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth where fútbol perhaps most closely mirrors religion and science.

Regardless, this is the week we say good-bye to ten teams and pit the eight remaining against one another in a short tournament that usually makes the wilderness of the regular season seem orderly.

Game of the Week

Club Tijuana 1, Guadalajara 0

What a game, not only because of the play on the field but the consequence of it. Both teams fought hard, with Chivas needing a win to secure superlíder and home field advantage throughout the Liguilla and Tijuana needing a win to clinch the final spot in the tournament. After 90 minutes of play it looked like both teams would be disappointed, but in stoppage time Verónica Pérez sent a ball into the area that Angelina Hix headed up into the air. Dani Espinosa hit it on the volley and beat Blanca Félix to send Tijuana through to the Liguilla as the eighth and final team in the tournament.

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Other scores:

Toluca 1, América 4

Toluca would have gone to the Liguilla had they won, but they couldn’t get it done as América won 4-1. Alison González put the visitors up in the 26th minute, staying onside to get a ball from Nati Mauleon and beating Kayla Thompson far post. Kiana Palacios got her 13th goal of the season in the 69th minute when she slotted one in past Thompson. Mauleon made it 3-0 in the 72nd minute, catching Toluca with too many players forward trying to get a goal. It then became 4-0 in the 78th minute on a long range blast from Eva González. Toluca drew one back in the 89th minute on a Mariel Román goal after her penalty kick attempt was saved, but it wasn’t nearly enough as América wind up in third place on the table.

Pachuca 3, Cruz Azul 0

Pachuca winds up in fifth place after their 3-0 win over Cruz Azul, but perhaps the more important thing in this was Charlyn Corral becoming the first player to score 20 goals in a single season, playing a great give-and-go with Karla Nieto in the 64th minute. Jenni Hermoso also got her 18th goal of the season in the 46th minute, and Yareli Valadez got her first of her career in the 21st minute.

Tigres UANL 9, Santos Laguna 0

A bad night at the office for Santos as the lose 9-0 to Tigres. Deiry Ramírez put the hosts up in the sixth minute, and before it was over Belén Cruz, Maricarmen Reyes, and Mia Fishel had all scored, Jackie Ovalle had a brace, and Stephany Mayor had a hat trick in the rout. Tigres finishes the season in second, one point behind Monterrey.

FC Juárez 2, Puebla F.C. 0

Juárez downed Puebla 2-0 in a match that saw the return of Jermaine Seoposenwe, who has been battling tendinitis. Andrea Hernández put Las Bravalácticas up for good in the fifth minute, cleaning up the rebound of a shot from Blanca Solís that was stopped by Evelyn Torres. Andrea Sánchez got her first goal in a Juárez shirt in the 14th minute on a free kick that Torres lost in the sun. Puebla almost drew one back in the 28th on a long range blast from Carolina Solís that forced Natalia Acuña to make a fantastic diving save to punch it away.

UNAM Pumas 1, Necaxa 0

With nothing to play for in terms of a Liguilla berth, Pumas still showed up to work and downed Necaxa 1-0 in the lone Saturday match. Luz Duarte got her fourth goal of the season in the 67th minute to see Pumas past Necaxa, who have put in some decent performances to end the season.

Mazatlán FC 0, Gallos Blancos de Querétaro 2

Mazatlán will want to put this season behind them as quickly as possible, as they set new records for worst goal differential (-54), fewest points (5), fewest goals scored (6), and most goals conceded (60) in a season since the league went to a single table in the 2019 Apertura (excluding the 2020 Clausura, which was shortened by COVID-19). They conceded two more, with Daniela Sánchez hitting a golazo from inside the box in the 27th and Alondra Camargo knocking one in off of both posts in the 73rd. Querétaro meanwhile got their sixth shutout of the season, allowing just 16 goals in 17 games.

Atlas 2, León 2

Definitely not the result Atlas wanted heading into the Liguilla, allowing León to erase a two goal lead to end in a 2-2 draw. Andrea García put Atlas up in the 26th minute on a beautiful free kick golazo, and Carolina Venegas doubled it in the first minute of stoppage, heading in a Fabiola Ibarra corner kick. But less than a minute later in stoppage Yashira Barrientos made a couple of nice moves to lose the Atlas defense and draw Atlas within one heading into the break. Ten minutes into the second half, Mariana Larroquette got her fourth goal of the season, heading in a great service from Mayalu Rausch. Instead of facing third place América, Atlas will now play second place Tigres in the Liguilla.

Rayadas de Monterrey 4, Club Atlético de San Luis 2

In the final match of the 2023 Clausura, Rayadas clinched superlíder and home field advantage throughout the Liguilla as they beat San Luis 4-2. Aylin “La Joya” Aviléz put Rayadas up just 38 seconds into the match, and Valeria Valdez doubled it in the 16th on a shot from deep that was deflected and knuckled into the back of the net. But San Luis came back, with Daniela Carrandí drawing one back in the 25th minute by converting a penalty after a handball in the box. Denisse Rivera equalized just before halftime, getting onto a ball that bounced around the box for what must have seemed like an eternity for goalkeeper Nicole Buenfil. But after the half it was the Christina Burkenroad show, first deflecting a deflected shot from Mónica Flores in past Buenfil in the 55th minute and then getting a great cross from Dani Solís in the 73rd minute for her 15th goal of the season and 64th of her career (so far).

Sub 18 results

Quarterfinals

Tigres UANL 2, Toluca 2 (Toluca advances on penalties 3-2)

América 3, Santos Laguna 0

UNAM Pumas 4, Atlas 1

Guadalajara 0, Pachuca 2

Semifinals (all times as listed):

Saturday, May 20

América vs. Pachuca - 11:00 AM

UNAM Pumas vs. Toluca - 12:00 PM

Liga MX Femenil Table